puebla - mexico - Les Ateliers de maîtrise d`œuvre urbaine de Cergy

International Urban Planning Workshop
Puebla, Mexico - From May 26th to June 09th, 2012
Presentation document and call for applications in order to select 24
professional participants.
PUEBLA - MEXICO
METROPOLIZATION AND HISTORICAL CENTER
A SUSTAINABLE, OPERATIONAL AND COLLECTIVE DEVELOPMENT
Puebla’s historical city center is compact, ordered, and provides all kinds of services. Yet,
it suffers from an important depopulation. Thanks to its public areas and exceptional
monuments, the city is featuring on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. On the other
hand, the suburbs are spreading, the public spaces are structured around cars and
public transports is inefficient. The urban sprawl is no longer contained and the necessary
investments for its functionning are no longer provided.
The ecological and social consequences of these phenomenon have been acknowledge
by the City’s authorities, and they are currently working to create planning tools so as to
develop a long-term vision.
The reflection led by Les Ateliers is structured around the city center and the forsaken
nearby districts, and will allow to identify some action threads on both the wider scale and
the public space scale. It will also allow to propose more concrete projects and ways to
implement those propositions.
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FOREWORD
The city of Puebla is a hundred kilometers away from Mexico. It is the capital of the State of Puebla and is
located within a fast growing agglomeration (its constructed area has been multiplied by 12 whereas the
population hasn’t even doubled). Several phenomenon coexist and explain the city’s urban sprawl:
- the real estate speculation is creating new land lots and is also physically and socially shattering the
city’s territory
- The size of the colonies: a Mexican phenomenon of organized and illegal occupation of the land.
They are located further and further away from the urbanized center whereas only 30% of the
population owns a car, and public transport is inefficient.
- The city center’s population is replaced by services.
Natural areas have been invaded when the fertile plain could have been preserved as a natural landscape
or used for food industry purposes.
Metropolization is a global urbanization phenomenon. Activities and population are concentrated in big
cities and are connected to secondary cities, defining a network of new polarities. What are the polarities of
the State of Puebla, their functions, and their limits ? The situation of the State of Puebla brings forth the
issue of its metropolization with Puebla’s city center. Metropolization involves the spatial organization as
well as the urban strategy for a territory’s development whose capital city is Puebla (2,5 million people in the
State and 38 municipalities).
In preparation for the workshop, a team of 5 people has been sent to Puebla in November 2011 so as to
define the topic of the present document. The team has worked in partnership with the French Embassy
and has met with all the city services, scholars, the IMPLAN (the nuew urban planning agency) and many
people who shown interest in Les Ateliers’ work. The team has come up with a 7 points analysis, that are
used in this document. Future candidates will be able to gain perspective and make an analysis of the city
of Puebla, and they will begin to grasp the first issues of the topic.
The workshop is happening midway of the City Council’s term (A term lasts 3 years in Mexico). It will be tht
perfect time to bring forth actions threads for different times, in order to organize the city’s future territory.
THANKS
We wish to thank deeply Eduardo Rivera Pérez, Mayor of Puebla, for his hospitality, David Menders, City Councilman –
President of the Public Works and Urban Development Committee – for his important commitnent ; Pedro Ocejo Tarno,
Secretary of Economy and Tourism , and all his team members ; Berenice Vical Castelan and Victor Manuel Pedro Marin
Menedez.
We would also like to thank all the lecturers and professional who took the time to meet with us an present us their work and
vision; Ana María Verónica Mastretta, Regidora, Presidenta de la Comisión de Ecología y Medioambiente; Javier Sánchez Díaz
de Rivera, Secretario de Desarrollo Social y Participación Ciudadana; Felipe Velázquez Gutiérrez, Secretario de Desarrollo
Urbano y Obras Púbicas; María Elena Rubí, Subdirectora de Planeación; Delfino Sánchez Romero, Jefe de Regulación de Zona
de Monumentos y Patrimonio; Christian López Ballinas, Jefe de Vialidad y Transporte; Elodia Márquez, Gloria Castro y Edgar
Vélez Tirado de la Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Obras Públicas; Mario Iglesias y García Teruel, Coordinador General del
IMPLAN; Alejandro Cañedo Priesca, Director de la Oficina de Turismo; Walther Junghanns Albre, Director de Desarrollo para
una Ciudad Competitiva; Francisco Bada Sanz, Asesor del Alcalde; Rafael Barquero Díaz Barriga, Subdirector del INAH Puebla
(Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia); Ignacio Acevedo Ponce de León, Presidente del Comité para el Repoblamiento
del Centro Histórico; Francisco Velez Pliego, Presidente del Consejo del Centro Histórico; Luis Espinosa Rueda, presidente de
CANACINTRA (Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Transformación); Luis Javier Cué, Presidente de CANIRAC Puebla(Cámara
Nacional de la Industria de Restaurantes y Alimentos Condimentados); Luis Rodríguez Fernández, Presidente de CCE;
Gabriel Posada Cueto, Grupo Proyecta (desarrollador inmobiliario); Juan Quintana Moreno, Presidente de la CITEX (Cámara
de la Industria Textil Puebla-Tlaxcala) Juan Caballero Ropero, desarrollador inmobiliario; Héctor Fernández de Lara, propietario
del Hotel Boutique “El Sueño”; Leobardo Espinoza, Director General de la emisora Radio Puebla Prioridad; José Luis Escalera,
propietario de Profética: Casa de Lectura; Francisco Valverde, doctor en urbanismo y director de investigación de la
Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla; Oscar Soto, profesor de la Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla; Ezequiel Aguilar y Fred
Dionne, miembros del Colectivo Metropolitano; Paola de la Concha y Guillermo Morales, miembros del Colectivo Tomate.
Thank you to all our partners : The French Embassy and the IFAL (French Institute in South America), CITELIUM for their
support.
Presentation of the topic of the workshop in Puebla – [email protected]
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GENERAL CONTEXT
Geographical context
Puebla or Puebla de Los Ángeles, officially Heróica Puebla de Zaragoza is the capital of the State of Puebla,
the fourth Mexican city with a population of 1,6 million (2,5 million in the agglomeration). It is located 110
kilometers away from Mexico, on the highway between Mexico and Veracruz, at an altitude of 2 160m.
The city lies in the very rich Cuetjlaxcoapan valley, surrounded by volcanoes. Amongst them are the
Popocatépetl (5,500 m) and the Ixtaccíhuatl (5220 m) who are located 40 kilometers West. In the East, lies
the tallest North American volcano, the Pico de Orizaba whose altitude reaches 5675m and in the North, the
Malinche (4461m ).
The city center, a major historical hub
The city was officially founded in April 1531 and baptized Ciudad de Los Angeles (City of Angeles), or
Puebla de los Angeles. It was built by Spanish colons who wanted to create a model city with spanish
workers, in opposition to the encomienda regime, which made Indians work.
In the 18th century, thanks to its location, halfway between Mexico and Veracruz, the city grew and became
one the most important city of New Spain. In the 19 th century, Puebla witnessed a series of battles,
especially the popular fights for the Mexican independence in 1821. The 5th of May 1862, the French troops
were defeated by General Ignacio Zaragossa’s army. Ever since, the city baptized itself Puebla de
Zaragozza and the 5th May became an important holyday in Mexico. Following the 1880’s reforms, new
plans were made for the city’s parks and avenues, and their size tremendously expanded in all the
directions since 1950.
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Puebla has an exceptional historical city center with a regular grid plan. The city features on the Unesco
World Heritage List since 1987 and preserved many buidlings from the Spanish colony era, like the Neoclassic Cathedral (16th and 17th century), the Santo Domingo Church (Mexican baroque) and magnificent
palaces, like the old archdiocese and many houses whose walls are covered with azulejos. The architecture
is a mix of several 19th century European architectural styles.
Views of the city center – The Cathedral, Zocalo facades – Main Theater.
The Pre-Columbian city of Cholula lies 10 kilometers away. It was funded in 1557, and before the Spanish
conquest, it usedto be animportant rligious center. Today it has 80 000 inhabitants. Cholula is famous for its
pyramid, on which was built the church of Nuestra Senora de los Remedios in the 18 th century.
From the top of the pyramid, the magnificent view gives one an opportunity to understand the region’s
geography. Cholula has become a western suburb of Puebla, which has an important student life.
Extension urbaine. Un fragment
monofonctionnel supplémentaire dans le
paysage
Panoramic view from
the Nuestra Senora
pyramid in Cholula
View from Nuestra Senora
in Cholula and the
Popocatepetl
volcanovolcan de
Popocatépetl
Presentation of the topic of the workshop in Puebla – [email protected]
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A powerful economic driving force, a shattered metropolis
At first sight, the city seems spatially, economically and socially shattered.
Puebla is one of Mexico’s main industrial
center. The textile industry has grown
importantly around the city center, with one
of the most important textile factory in
South America (La Constancia Mexicana
Factory), which is now closed. The city
center has been slowly abandonned
following the industrial crisis and there are
many brownfields left. Ever since, two
major industries have settled in the large
industrial areas in the North of the city,
along the Mexico-Vera Cruz highway:
Volkswagen, which opened its factory in
1964 (South America’s largest car factory)
and has attracted many subcontractors
ever since, and the steel factory Hylsa.
Finally, the food industry has always been
a part of Puebla’s development with
farming equipment, agricultural chemistry
and food industry factories. The city’s
commercial areas have also developed in
the city’s outskirts, creating a NorthAmerican suburban atmosphere.
Housing has known a shattered
development, without a global strategy,
with the development of condominiums
(fractionnamientos), projects, or even
informal housing areas in the suburbs
(mainly in the South and in the North)
which are now massively spreading over
Puebla city’s boundaries.
Thus, the city’s dimension has been revised, from 5000 hectares in 1980 to 55 000 hectares in 2000 and a
population only growing from 1,8 to 2,5 million. Even though the city’s growth is persistent, the metropolis
has to improve its mobility: public transport is inefficient and only a third of the poblanos owns a car,
whereas 80% of the public space is organized around the car. Today, two third of the poblanos don’t have
access to the city’s amenities, and they tend to live further and further away.
The metropolis is suffocating, shattering itself and creating isolated islets only served by car-friendly roads,
with poor public spaces. The disappearance of the social network is a chronic issue and has consequences
on the city’s development.
We would like to remind here the topics that were raised before the November mission. They are local
topics that shall be kept in mind during the workshop.
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The lack of public spaces in new districts led to a degradation of the social network, no social
cohesion
The importance given to cars in the planning of the public spaces, pedestrians are no longer at the
center.
The political decision to preserve the historical center led to depopulation, despite the presence of
many services (education, health, leisure, culture, business...)
The city’s identity: promotion of the heritage and finding binding elements on the metropolitan
region’s scale
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FIRST STEPS
During the November mission, the team presented seven topics which will be the teams’ thinking
foundations during the future workshop in May.
1 - An economic, spatial, social and temporal fragmention of the metropolis.
Puebla has grown according to a center-suburbia model with a star-shaped organization. Once compact
and centralized, it spreaded and shattered with monofunctional and socially even areas. The lack of
coordination of the planning documents and the multiplication of the real estate opportunities created by
the ejidos reform has reinforced the spatial discrepancies and the urban sprawl. Bits of the cities are abut:
land lots, universities, businesses with no other links but the express ways which create separations within
the public space. The city has become a patchwork of autonomous, shattered areas, which are hostile to
pedestrians whereas 2/3 of the Poblanos still don’t own a car.
Within this patchwork, the installation of private infrastuctures for education or health in Angelopolis for
instance, has driven the middle class population to move away from the city center (Angelopolis - in
reference to “the City of Angels” - is a new district welcoming the city’s biggest mall, the biggest private
hospital of the country, “Los Angeles”, many university campuses and roads). This came along with a new
housing structure in “fractionamentos” (condominiums) which are closed, and where the public space
becomes private and where urban continuities like streets are interrupted. This creates barriers and a loss of
urbanity.
In the popular districts, housing habits have evolved with the underlying question of security within the
public area. House units have closed themselves from the public areas: buildings with barb wires, car
parks, public spaces like the districts of La Margarita or Agua Santa. The city is less shared than before. The
city center and its shared open areas are in direct opposition with these closed districts.
Stopping the expansion of the urban area within the frame of this “shattered” model seems to be a priority.
The journey’s length to the workplace, the public or private amenities and homes have increased
incessantly and differences occur according to social groups. A metropolitan transport project (metro-bus)
led by the State of Puebla is currently ongoing: it aims to improve the existing and inefficient public
transport’s network. An ecological reserve in the South, near the lake was opened by the city in order to
stop a new “fracionnamiento” project. This new reserve will be integrated to the city’s sustainable planning
process...
Angeopolis, a new bit of the city, a juxtaposition of equipments
and houses. An oversized road for sole connection.
Presentation of the topic of the workshop in Puebla – [email protected]
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2 – The depopulation of a city center with an exceptional architectural heritage.
The city center (6,9 km²) has been on the World Heritage List since 1987. The grid plan has been preserved
and has been extended to an area of 1200 hectares. Ever since its creation, the 83m by 120m blocks have
been preserved. The INAH has allowed the protection of the heritage and urban interest of the public
spaces for a majority of Poblanos. Yet, the city center has been abandonned by the inhabitants: 340 000 in
1978 versus 108 000 today. According to the city’s services, a strong policy could allow 238 000 inhabitants
to live there.
There are many reasons behind this depopulation:
- The transformation of houses into tertiary activity buildings.
- A majority of small houses that don’t fit the family’s needs.
- The UNESCO programme creates standards that are sometimes tough to comply with for the
owners, like the “facades” standards, which preserves the houses’facades in order to hide car
parks for instance.
- The development of real estate suited for a wealthier population outside the city center.
- Various inconveniences: there is a reorganization and sanitation project for the markets’ outskirts
because of the insufferable noises and odours. The population is slowly claiming the spaces back.
- More than 50 % of the population have an informal job and do not have access to social housing.
- The traffic and transport network are saturated.
Architectural renovation in the city center / House in the historical center / Forsaken factories in the immediate outskirts of
the city center.
Around the classified area, entire districts have been forsakened as well. The collapse of the textile sector in
the 80’s has emptied the factories and the workers houses are almost in ruins. Some factories remain active
and provide local jobs in an unbearable urban disorder, whereas some traditional activities are nearly
extinct.
On the metropolis’ scale, the roads crossing the center from North to South and East to West are lowering
the quality of the public spaces without being efficient. Yet, the metropolis’urban economy, the efficiency
and the financing of the public services, the quality of life and Puebla’s attractiveness could be hugely
improved.
The new local authorities are clearly willing to launch a project using all the assets and the public
equipments of the city center. But such a project would require a metropolitan cooperation and an
operational device in order to get things started. This all leads to the thread of a shared governance.
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3 - Housing: how to live together?
The shattering and the urban sprawl, whether it concerns wealthy or poorer population are the two main
characteristics of the housing development in Puebla.
The current houses are very specific: individual houses next to the city center, 1950’s projects, guarded
condominiums (large houses or small collective buldings) and informal housing spreading in the outer
suburbs. The real estate speculation has dramatically increased the land value. The real estate operations
seem to offer an apparent sense of security and a better quality of life with the closed condominiums. Yet,
this model is dependent of the individual car, which has shattered the city, and is creating a social and
Margarita’s social district: 42 000
inhabitants.
Along the “ecological peripheric way”
New social housing in the Eastern outskirts
of the city.
spatial barrier interrupting the ocialnetwork. It is obvious that this development model, far from promoting
the city’s regeneration, is stimulating the “private city” without the necessary public spaces to reinforce the
social cohesion.
Nouveaux campements en périphérie urbaine
The idea of a ”public city” can still be sensed in the historical city center, in the consolidated city, whereas
large areas don’t provide quality homes. Over the last few years, the development of the city has been
overwhelmed by the development of large real estate projects. The installation of the new universities, the
construction of the ring in 1992 from the Mexico-VeraCruz highway has had a major impact: the wealthier
population has moved East and South.
The « ecological corridor » ought to be a symbolic limit of the city, and eventualy turned out to be a major
real estate investment booster on all its perimeter. The same effect can be witnessed in the Western area’s
new route. In addition to that, important social groups have promoted the settlement of irregular “colonies”
on the weaker areas of the suburbs.
Within the consolidated city, we identify several areas that would offer a better quality of life, with an urban
dynamic and important activities, with public services, public amenities and spaces but which have become
expelling territories. How can houses become a networking force within one of the lowest density area of
the country ? What new housing forms can we create to invent new ways of living together, all the while
considering security matters ? What are the alternatives ?
Presentation of the topic of the workshop in Puebla – [email protected]
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Puebla’s evolution
1531
Foundation of the city
Density of Puebla’s metropolitan area
1908
Redensification of the original layout. 50% of the colonial houses are
destroyed. New architectural constructions. Launching of the railway.
1947
Acceleration of the city’s growth. Development of the colonies in the
suburbs. The spatial unity is broken.
1997
Industries settlements in the North from 1965, and
accelarationof the growth.
2010
Uncontrolled growth
Urban Sprawl:
The surface of the metropolitan area has
been multiplied by 12 between 1980 and
2009 whereas the population has been
multiplied by 1,5.
1980 : population of 1,8 million, 4660 km2
2009 : population of 2,6 millions , 58 000
km2.
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4 - The industrial city: A major economic driving force.
Puebla is a cultural and a commercial cluster, with a productive farming hinterland, between Mexico and the
port of Vera Cruz. The city has gained prosperity thanks to its industrial production. With earthenware,
glass, transformation industries, Puebla has been the most important textile industry pole in the 20th
century. Thanks to its strategic position, Puebla is still the significant area for market and transformation in
Mexico. Puebla offers privileged commercial opportunities towards the capital and the Mexican market, as
well as exportation possibilities thanks to the port of Vera Cruz.
Recently, Puebla was able to benefit from the ALENA’s evolutions and the opening of the US Market,
without matching the northern “maquilladoras”, and turned its productions towards exportation: the car
industry is now responsible for 40% of the industrial wealth. Nonetheless, Puebla is still benefiting from its
local production thanks to the transformation of its farming production (20%), metal and non metal ores (8
and 9%) and textile production (10%).
1970
1980
Distribution of the principal
activities. In green, farming ; in
blue, industry ; in orange, the
services and commerce.
1990
2000
Thus, inspite of its cultural and tourism influence, its heritage, its universities, the city’s wealth is essentially
based on the existence and preservation of the industrial production.An urban planning policy cannot be
conceived without preserving the activity. If the downfall of the textile industry (70’s-80’s) has been
compensated by the growth of the car industry, the depletion of fossil energies and raw material in the next
20 years to come allows us to believe that there is a « car risk » and this source of wealth could also
disappear.
How can we add value to :
- the presence of several specialized clusters
- a production that is mainly based on local resources
- the presence of renowned public and private and universities
- an enjoyable quality of life: historical city-center, wide open spaces, gastronomy, cultural offer, proximity to
the capital, a feeling of safety.
As a recent example, the project “Puebla, city of design” aims to transform the city into a national design
pole, through an educational and industrial project. It will develop specialized training programs in design
for the car industry, the textile industry and interior design. A project for « city of design » could take place in
the city center’s old industrial buildings for instance. How can we use this opportunity to regenerate the city
center? How can we use it to initiate a dialogue between industries, universities and the city?
Presentation of the topic of the workshop in Puebla – [email protected]
10
5 - A city of knowledge: an exceptional higher education offer.
Map of the universities.
Universities are the city’s second economic driving force. Figures may vary, but over 130 000 students are
enrolled in 200 schools. Amongts them are 7 of most important universities of the country : Benemerita
Universidad Autonoma de Puebla (BUAP) and Universidad de las Americas (UDLA) are two of them. There
is also a wide variety of “patitos”, small private schools of lower quality.
They are roughly located in three main areas:
- The BUAP campus in the South
- Smaller schools can be found in the city center and its outskirts
- The ILUM and UPAEP campuses
- Mainly in the Western area (Puebla and San Andres Cholula) where several large campuses are
located (Universidad Valle de Mexico, Iberoamericana, Tec de Monterrey, UDLA, Anàhuac)
Thus, the metropolitan area of Puebla is welcoming an ensemble of universities, which provide an important
student migration coming from the South and Center of the country.
Despite this massive presence, the universities are located outside the territory, all the while playing a major
part in it. Students rarely stay in the State of Puebla.
The courses are not enough focused on the work in large companies, because it doesn’t pay enough. They
tend to encourage entrepreneurship instead of administration skills or applied studies: thus, 40% of the
unemployed population in the city are university graduates. Finally, on another scale, universities don’t
really take part in local politics. In Mexico, the UAM and the UNAM run urban watchdogs and regularly lead
surveys for the local authorities, and in Puebla, the BUAP is the only one which progressively take parts in
such activities.
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6 - The great urban and natural landscape
The great landscape is a major attraction force within a territory. But it’s also a force easily forgotten if we
live in the same territory, a force that can easily be destroyed if people are not aware of it. Puebla has an
exceptional environment, whether it is an architectural one in the centre or a natural one in its outskirts: In
the North, the volcano chain is remarkable, in the South, the lake is a great open space, away from the city,
and a perfect leisure spot for the week end. Nonetheless, natural areas are becoming scarce, and are
located further and further away from the city because of the urban sprawl. Therefore, they are not easily
accessible. The Poblanos do benefit from a wonderful landscape but there is no real area to fully preserve
nor enjoy it, except renowned locations such as the Cholula pyramid.
Puebla’s skyline is fairly low, marked by the Cathedral, the churches, and also a few towers that clearly
show the negative effects of a profit-based verticalization of the city. Therefore, the question of the city’s
future skyline must be answered.
View of the landscape and the towers
from the Zona de los Fuertes
The nearness of the dam water has created a
leisure spot
The Popocatepetl is a landmark in Puebla’s
landscape
The attractivity of the urban landscape is an important part of the quality of life. One should be able to enjoy
the public spaces and the facades. One should be surprised, while strolling by the streets, by the volcano or
the hill, the river or the lake, the cathedral or the market.
Acknowledging the elevated parts of the city is another way of adding value to a city, but also to reinforce its
beauty and image.
The great landscape also shares a connection with farming and the rural world in the suburbs, a world that
tends to disappear whereas Puebla is located in the middle of fertile plains and still has many food markets.
Presentation of the topic of the workshop in Puebla – [email protected]
Map of the great landscpae in the
outskirts of Puebla, the volcanoes,
the high locations, the water... In
green, the farming areas.
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7 - Governance questions
The metropolitan governance doesn’t really exist today. Though there is a cooperation structure between
the mayors of the different municipalities of the metropolitan region, there is no planning strategy nor is
there a redistribution effect. 2,6 million people are governed by 18 towns in the State of Puebla and 20 of
the State of Tlexcala. This create a spatial and temporal power breach. What is the most efficient authority
structure for these 38 towns inside one metropolis ?
The breach between authorities:
Three entities share the authority on
one metropolitan area, but every entity
is secluded from to the other:
- The federal entity (electricity, CFE,
highways, pipelines, specific programs
like the DUIS...)
- The State of Puebla (transport, traffic,
drinking water, security…)
- The city (urban development, housing,
road network, public spaces, public
lighting, security, school equipments,
social programs, PIUS... )
Government organization
The spatial breach:
The lack of institutional relationships
between the city of Puebla and the
neighbour municipalities of the metropolis
(Cholula, Cuautlancigo, Amozoc...) is
hindering the launching of a coherent
urban development program in the
metropolis. Yet, most of the land lots
available for urbanization and speculation
are located in these neighbour cities.
The temporal breach:
The installation of urban projects, whether they are public or private needs a consistence and a continuity
that should run over the terms of office of the city (3 years) and State (6 years), which are both not
renewable.
The direct consequence of these three breaches is the lack of consistent urban planning device, of land
management in order to avoid speculation, and the lack of participation and involvment of the population.
There is hope in the creation of the IMPLAN (an urban planning agency created in 2011 whose aim is to
organize the continuity of the urban development). The IMPLAN should be able to evolve and become the
Metropolitan Urban Planning Institute.
To this day, there is no map showing all the municipalities of the metropolitan area and their projects. Thus,
several questions must be answered: The common projects, the organization of the consistency and the
objectives of the IMPLAN.
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THE GOALS OF THE WORKSHOP
Les Ateliers do not produce projects but raise good questions within a good scale. They produce concrete
ideas in order to move forward, and some “how tos”spotted in France and all over the world.
One the Workshop’s goal is to create a creativity hub, a meeting place for different actors on the
metropolitan scale.
The propositions that will be made by Les Ateliers during the session of May will have their own visions.
More than results, the teams will come up with global intervention strategies that will connect the city center
and the metropolis’ issues.
Les Ateliers aim to organize the connections between the city center and the forsakened nearby districts, to
preserve an urban identity all the while providing modern solutions for a balanced development that is
respectful of the social, cultural, economic and environmental context... ; to find solutions that will allow the
population to claim the city center back. The urban way of thinking no longer tends to apprehend the
development from the inside towards the outside (centrifugal) but from the outside to the inside
(centripetal), redefining the role of the city center and its complementarity with the suburbs.
The urbanization from the outside must be understood in order to come up with appropriate solutions that
will allow to reverse the tendency.
The field work and the debates that will occur during the workshop will allow to identify the action threads
from the existing wealth of Puebla. These threads will be considered according to several territory scales
because their issues are intricate even though they are not on the same level: from the agglomeration to the
district, and its spatial and functional organization.
This process based on different scales will allow the development of thoroughly defined projects following a
hierarchy of time and space priorities. The process will also have to think about operational modes to guide
the organization of a metropolitan state of mind.
FOOD FOR THOUGHTS...
Puebla’s motto “la ciudade que queremos”: “the city that we want/love”
The motto can be changed for the duration of the workshop: “What if the city were made for
experimentation?”
Les Ateliers are operational research workshops and must propose action propositions that will be installed
by the authorities. The current local authorities have launched the IMPLAN, an urban planning agency that
will be able to use the propositions to create the urban strategy of Puebla’s future metropolis.
Because territories and society evolve at a faster pace, how can we create a city that is able to adapt to
these changes? A flexible, mutable city, able to absorb these transformations is a necessity for the future
planning strategies. It means that a double approach is needed, mixing spatial and temporal dimensions.
Les Ateliers will come up with propositions that mix process and actions on several time frames
(short/medium/long term).
Overall, it is necessary to think about: how to avoid or stall the fragmentation? What are the actions needed
for the public areas ? What are the first issues to resolve to gain leverage ? The propositions will have to be
legal, strategic (actors, negociation, participation, uses). They will also have to be short, medium and long
term.
Presentation of the topic of the workshop in Puebla – [email protected]
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TO BEGIN WITH, SOME OPEN QUESTIONS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS:
1- How to block the metropolis’ shattered development?
How to find a new urbanity, create bonds with quality public areas? How to avoid the urban sprawl? What
density? How to involve the public transport in the city? How to develop soft transportation in the
metropolis? How to articulate urban planning and the State-led transport project? How to create a city
based on short spatial and temporal distance?
2- The city center
What are the repercussions of the city center’s regeneration for the metropolis?
What impact will the regeneration and repopulation of the city center will have on the other districts’
development? How can the planning of the city center’s historical fringes be decisive in the connection
between the center and the suburbs? How can we lean on the identity (activities, History, etc...) to
repopulate?
3- The industrial city: a powerful economic driving force
How to seize the opportunity that is “the city of design” to regenerate the city center? How can we exploit
that to initiate a dialogue between the industries, the universities and the city?
How to plan the economic future of the city? How to prepare the gradual transition towards a circular
economy?
4- The city of knowledge: an exceptional educational offer.
How to involve the university courses in the production sector? What bonds can we create between
universities and industry? o
What is the role of the universities in the ubran construction?
Can the research units and their applications help the city and the industries to grasp the issues of the
sustainable city?
5- Housing
What housing forms can we create to answer the middle class and underprivileged population’s demands
regarding security, access to public services and quality of life?
What could be an efficient leverage to recreate social network and urban life in Puebla’s districts?
6- The great natural and urban landscape
With the disappearance of the natural heritage of the fertile plain, how can we stop the consumption of
farming land and promote the city’s nearby landscape?
What landmarks can we promote?
How can we improve the inhabitant’s frequenting of the natural spaces?
7- What governance?
Given the lack of dialogue between the 3 institutions: federal/city/state
What planning tools can we use for the metropolis?
What land management tool can we install?
Can we think about private-public partnerships?
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APPENDICES :
IDENTITY CARD
Mexico: 110 million inhabitants,
Mexico, aka Défé for District Fédéral.
City of Mexico: 8,7 million inhabitants in 2005, 148 500 km2
Mexico’s agglomeration: 20 million inhabitants, the world’s third most
populated city
City of Puebla: 1,5 million inhabitants (INEGI 2005)
Metropolitan area of Puebla: 2,1 million inhabitants
State of Puebla: 5,8 million inhabitants
State of Tlaxcala: 1,6 million inhabitants
Les différentes limites : Etat de Puebla-Tlaxcala/ Zone métropolitaine/ Centre Ville de Puebla
26 municipalités de Puebla + 18 municipalités de Tlaxcala.
En orange : les municipalités urbaines
Political situation
Mayor’s term of office: 3 years, non renewable. In Puebla 2011- 2014.
State elections: 6 years. 2011- 2017.
Tourism
12% of the GDP.
National tourism : 80%/ International tourism : 20%
Tourists spend an average day in Puebla. Current objective: 2 days minimum.
Traditions
Part of Mexican gastronomy hve been declared part of World Intangible Heritage. In Puebla, most wellknown plates are the chiles en nogada, the mole poblano (cacao and pepper based sauce), and its famous
sweets and candies....
Puebla is also famous for the Talavera ceramics
Waste management
Quantities : 1650 t/d. Recycling: 50 t/d.
Presentation of the topic of the workshop in Puebla – [email protected]
16
The land issue
The land is under a very complex soils rights regulation and the composition of the owners is just as
complex (Francisco Valverde, Head of Urban planning). The majority of the Poblanos are owners (in 1996,
64% in the city center, 76% in the suburbs).
Since the last farming reform in 1962, the city’s functions have been disintegrated. 5 municipalities were
associated (3 farming towns and 2 more industrial ones). Puebla has developped an important land
reserve. In the North: industrial area, in the South: residential area, in the West: middle class residential area
(formerly the native population), in the Centre: services.
The ejidales lands(collective ownership of the land). These are lands that could not be sold, nor rent, but
given the housing demands, they were illegally sold. The collective properties were transformerd into
private properties. The city had to adapt to the construction of new houses and the legal questions have
adapted to the informal situation. They are areas remote from the city center (up to 20km). They need
services that the City cannot supply.
The city of Puebla’s functions in 2009
Source : Benítez González in
presentation Oscar Soto Nov 2011.
South of Puebla, fields are
progressively occupied by
settlements circled by walls (in
black on the picture), shattering
the landscape. A very precarious
yet well organised occupation
process.
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Economical facts for Mexico
With a 2 million km2 area, Mexico is 4 times bigger than France and has twice as many inhabitants, 115
million.
Mexico is South America’s second economic power. Its GDP in 2010 was 9240 dollars per capita. The
ALENA agreement with the United States and Canada signed in 1994 has boosted the exportations towards
the USA which now receives 80% of Mexico’s exportations. In the midst of the economic crisis, its growth is
still above 3%. The public deficit is less than a third of the GDP and the inflation is 3 to 4%. The
unemployment rate is 5%. Informal work concerns 30% of the active population. 46% of the inhabitants are
poor accroding to the CONEVAL (National Council for the evaluation of the social development policy).
The car industry represents a third of the exportations. With the enerygy sector, they have received two third
of the 20 billion dollars of foreign investments.
The emigrants money transfers are the second source of income for the country, after oil.
The public company Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) finance a third of the State’s budget. Since 2010, its
production has been stabilized to 2,5 million barrels/day. The official resources of the country are 14 billion
of barrels, 25 years of production, and they are decreasing due to the lack of off-shore production.
Mexico is one the three South America countries to use nuclear energy. Alsthom runs a power plant near
Vera-Cruz. The discovery of natural gas resources in the Mexican Gulf has led the country to renounce to
build 10 new nuclear power plants in the next 15 years.
According to the World Bank, in 2008, Mexico’s CO2 emissions were 480 million of tons (380 in France); per
capita, it is half of France’s emisions but twice of France’s emissions when counting with the GDP.
Mexico is also one of the three countries that is willing to massively invest in sustainable energies, energy
efficiency and public transport in an effort to reduce pollution and to achieve its development objectives,
while population is growing.
The financing provided by a 5,2 billion dollars fund for clean energies created in 2009 and managed by the
World Bank (500 million for Mexico), will be added to other financing from the World Bank and the regional
development bank and to private investors in order to have a maximum impact.
The raging insecurity is hindering the development. Despite 50 000 soldiers that have been deployed on the
territory, the cartels crimes have reached the city of Monterey, an economic driving force of the country,
generating a loss of more than 1% of the GDP, according to JP Morgan.
The creation of the Federal Election Insitute in the beginning of the 90’s, followed by the approval of the
elections reform in 1996, has shown the path for a political turnover, with a rising of new political parties. In
July 2000, the election of Vicente Fox, member of the PAN (Partido Accion Nacional, President Calderon’s
party) has ended the PRI’s(Partido Revolucionario Institucional) supremacy at the head of the State.
Ever since, three parties share the people’s vote: the PRI, the PAN and the PRD (Partido de la Revolucion
Democratica). The PAN has won the presidential elections again in 2006, but only slightly, in front of the
PRD’s candidate (with less than 1% of difference). Nonetheless, the PRI has always had an dominant
position in the political institutions of the federal States and has gained a comfortable majority in the two
Federal assemblies (Chamber of Deputies and Senate). It is the first political force of the country, even
though the 2010 elections have confirmed the efficiency of the PAN-PRD alliances. In 2012, the PRI won the
elections for Governorship of the State of Michoaca. A symbolic victory before the presidential elections of
2012.
Presentation of the topic of the workshop in Puebla – [email protected]
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ORGANIZATION OF THE WORKSHOP
The workshop will be organized according to the orignal method of Les Ateliers. During two weeks, 24
international professionals will be divided into four teams of six participants, with two local professionals in
each team. One of them is working for the technical services of the City of Puebla.
The early days will focus on meetings and tours. During the opening ceremony, the local authorities will
have the chance to express their views to the participants and their particular expectations. Then, the
leading committee will announce the composition of the teams, and they will begin working on the subject without computers. After three days, the forum will take place. It is a key moment of the workshop where the
teams will present the first elements of their work, their first analysis, and will freely exchange and debate
with a local comittee. During the second week, the team will finalize their productions, they will have access
to computers in order to hand in their written and graphic work that will be used during their presentation to
the international jury.
The jury is made of local actors, actors of the city’s development, the IMPLAN, the French Embassy, AFD
representatives, Puebla’s partners and members of Les Ateliers’network. Thus, it really is a fifth team. Its
function is not to rank the teams but to identify within the teams’ production the most relevant propositions
for the local authorities to use. The workshop is not a contest, there is neither a prize nor a market to win.
What matters is the capacity to produce analysis, new representations, and threads in a collective way that
can be easily used for Puebla’s development.
WORKSHOP’S SCHEDULE
Previsional schedule
Saturday 26th May
Greeting of the international participants in Puebla. Tour of the center and Welcoming dinner.
Sunday 27th May
Monday 28th May
From Tuesday 29th to
Thursday 31st
Firday 1st June
Saturday 2nd June
Sunday 3rd to Tuesday
5th June
Introduction lectures and tours of the city.
Theme lectures. Opening ceremony.
Theme lectures, constitution of the teams. Workshops (without computers)
Forum with local actors.
Day off. Organized tours.
Workshops
Wednesday 6th June
Hand in of the written work (8 A4 pages +A1 board)
Greeting of the jury members. Wecoming dinner.
Thursday 7th June
Finalization and presentation rehearsals. Jury: Tours and Lecture. Meeting with the partner
committee and the Workshop’s leaders.
Friday 8th June
International Jury. Presentations, debate, deliberation of the jury. Party and Award ceremony.
Saturday 9th June
Optional morning workshop sessions with the city sevices/State, the jury and the participants.
Organized tour. Departure in the evening or the day after.
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HOW TO PARTICIPATE
26th May to 09th June 2012
This workshop is for professionals of every age and nationality, and whose education and/or work is related
to urban planning: architects, geographs, landscape artists, engineers, economists, artists... The goal is to
create 4 multi-disciplinary teams. A good command of at least two of the following languages is required:
French, Spanish, English. We must say to the young graduates that an application with less than 3 years of
experience is very unlikely to be selected.
The participants will stay in Puebla and will work in the workspace provided for them. Documentary
resources with maps and information cards introducing the context will be available.
Participants are not paid but the following expenses are covered: flight+visas, single room accommodation,
catering, visits and work material.
The selection is made by the workshop's leading committee, based on the professional abilities of the
participants, their experience on similar projects, their approach of the subject, their communication skills
(language, graphics...) and their motivation!
If you want to apply, please send the following elements before Sunday, the 18th of March, at
[email protected].
- Filled application form (attached file or on www.ateliers.org )
Name of the file : NAME_surname_Form
- 1 page résumé.
Name of the file: NAME_surname_CV
- A one or two pages note with text and graphic elements that you have produced
(sketches,charts,drawings,blueprints...) explaining why you are interested in the project, what is the
approach you would select for the project, the abilities/previous experience that you can bring to the
workshop.
Name of the file: NAME_surname_Note
Results will be announced at the end of March.
More information : [email protected]
Who are Les Ateliers
Les Ateliers is a non-governmental organization created in 1982 by Cergy-Pontoise’s urban planners. They
are an international network that gathers universities, decision makers and professionals dedicated to
planning, development and urban design. The organization focuses on the practice of urban planning
project management, and organizes its workshops in order to create a place for conception and creativity.
In France as well as in other countries, these workshops are an opportunity for the contractors to get an
international point of view and groundbreaking propositions for their local planning issues. Given the
presence of many cultures and the diversity of the education backgrounds of the participants involved in the
workshops, they are a great place for high-level debates and exchange.
Every year, Les Ateliers organizes three Students and Young Professionals Workshops in Irkoutsk, PortoNovo and Cergy Pontoise, on local or metropolitan urban planning topics. Depending on the demands, Les
Ateliers also organizes International Workshops for Professionals in France, Asia, the Mediterranean region,
and more recently in Western Africa and South America.
Presentation of the topic of the workshop in Puebla – [email protected]
20